We are hoping that attendees of this years ASCE annual conference will use this opportunity to begin an open and courageous discussion of the most significant building failures in world history
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"... the remains of all the
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Short commercial spot produced by RememberBuilding7.org
We are interested in finding engineers within the ASCE who are willing to go on record as having reviewed and support the government's (NIST's) conclusions with respect to World Trade Center Building 7.
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The role of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Members of ASCE working under FEMA were charged with the initial investigation into the building collapses which occurred on 9/11. This included the collapse of World Trade Tower 7. The ASCE team arrived at this conclusion;
"The specifics of the fires in WTC 7 and how they caused the building to collapse remain unknown at this time"... "the best hypothesis has only a low probability of occurrence. Further research, investigation, and analyses are needed to resolve this".
In 2009 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released their final report on the collapse of WTC 7 concluding that it had resulted from the buckling of a single vertical column (number 79 to be exact), which occurred because of "normal" office fires. It was, according to NIST, the first time in history that office fires have done this. They basically arrived at this using the building's blueprints, a computer, and video of the collapsing building. What they specifically didn't use to draw this conclusion, was the analysis of a single piece of steel from that building, because... the structural steel had been hauled away and destroyed while the ASCE team was on site. We believe that this entitles us to an informed opinion from ASCE members on the the validity of the NIST report.
"The specifics of the fires in WTC 7 and how they caused the building to collapse remain unknown at this time"... "the best hypothesis has only a low probability of occurrence. Further research, investigation, and analyses are needed to resolve this".
In 2009 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released their final report on the collapse of WTC 7 concluding that it had resulted from the buckling of a single vertical column (number 79 to be exact), which occurred because of "normal" office fires. It was, according to NIST, the first time in history that office fires have done this. They basically arrived at this using the building's blueprints, a computer, and video of the collapsing building. What they specifically didn't use to draw this conclusion, was the analysis of a single piece of steel from that building, because... the structural steel had been hauled away and destroyed while the ASCE team was on site. We believe that this entitles us to an informed opinion from ASCE members on the the validity of the NIST report.
Our efforts with ASCE
In July of 2012, We contacted Patrick Natale, the executive director of ASCE in an effort to get some of those issues that we've presented in this website specifically addressed. Below is the response that we received. For us it didn't answer much, i.e. the free-fall collapse of WTC 7, the presence of molten steel, the presence of nanothermite in dust, the absurd conduct of the investigation, etc. All of this remains unexplained. We encourage you to read Mr Natale's response, check out the links he provided us, and If you also still have unanswered questions, then write, or call ASCE yourself and ask for real answers. Actually, there's thousands of ASCE members out there, We just started with the director, but ideally we would like to see all of them contacted. With some help maybe this could be accomplished. (*Also make sure and listen to the podcasts from ASCE engineers in the link he sent us. Note that each engineer concludes his remarks basically by saying; 'don't worry our government didn't do it'... It's just weird)
The initial response we received from the executive director of ASCE;
Dear Ms. Manley,
Thank you for your e-mail. As referenced during our brief call, in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) formed two expert teams comprised of more than 30 leading civil, structural, fire protection and forensic engineers to conduct studies of the structural performance of the buildings at the World Trade Center (WTC) and Pentagon. Founded in 1996, SEI represents more than 20,000 structural engineers and serves the unique needs of the structural engineering community, while also being their voice on broader issues that shape the entire civil engineering community. In addition to the September 11th Building Performance Assessments of the World Trade Center and Pentagon, SEI has worked on numerous technical assessments following earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Information about the WTC studies, and other resources including podcasts with some of the authors of the reports, can be found at http://www.asce.org/ASCE-Remembers-9-11/. ASCE created this webpage for the 10-year anniversary of the attacks. You also alluded to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which conducted an analysis to determine the probable cause of the building collapses. Their website can be found at http://wtc.nist.gov/pubs/factsheets/faqs_8_2006.htm. Both the ASCE and NIST studies, which can be downloaded from these websites, included an analysis of potential collapse mechanisms and sequences for WTC building 7. ASCE has publicly shared our WTC report and we stand by the conclusions in the reports, which are supported by the facts and sound engineering analysis.
These studies were conducted at considerable cost and time by experts in the field. As you may be aware, the studies conducted by NIST cost in excess of $16 million. Lacking this level of resources within the Society, it may be best were you to raise your concerns with your elected representatives in the hopes that they may feel that further examination is required.
Best wishes,
Pat
Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE, FASAE, CAE
Executive Director
American Society of Civil Engineers
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, VA 20191-4400
(703) 295-6100
Fax (703) 295-6125
The initial response we received from the executive director of ASCE;
Dear Ms. Manley,
Thank you for your e-mail. As referenced during our brief call, in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) formed two expert teams comprised of more than 30 leading civil, structural, fire protection and forensic engineers to conduct studies of the structural performance of the buildings at the World Trade Center (WTC) and Pentagon. Founded in 1996, SEI represents more than 20,000 structural engineers and serves the unique needs of the structural engineering community, while also being their voice on broader issues that shape the entire civil engineering community. In addition to the September 11th Building Performance Assessments of the World Trade Center and Pentagon, SEI has worked on numerous technical assessments following earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Information about the WTC studies, and other resources including podcasts with some of the authors of the reports, can be found at http://www.asce.org/ASCE-Remembers-9-11/. ASCE created this webpage for the 10-year anniversary of the attacks. You also alluded to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which conducted an analysis to determine the probable cause of the building collapses. Their website can be found at http://wtc.nist.gov/pubs/factsheets/faqs_8_2006.htm. Both the ASCE and NIST studies, which can be downloaded from these websites, included an analysis of potential collapse mechanisms and sequences for WTC building 7. ASCE has publicly shared our WTC report and we stand by the conclusions in the reports, which are supported by the facts and sound engineering analysis.
These studies were conducted at considerable cost and time by experts in the field. As you may be aware, the studies conducted by NIST cost in excess of $16 million. Lacking this level of resources within the Society, it may be best were you to raise your concerns with your elected representatives in the hopes that they may feel that further examination is required.
Best wishes,
Pat
Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE, FASAE, CAE
Executive Director
American Society of Civil Engineers
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, VA 20191-4400
(703) 295-6100
Fax (703) 295-6125
Our ongoing efforts with the Union of Concerned Scientists
Our hope is simply to push toward a definitive answer to the question: Was nanothermite the real cause of the World Trade Center building collapses?
Here's how you can help!
Print the page from this link; Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe (just send the title page but of course you should read the entire document).
Mail it to the Union of Concerned Scientists at their National headquarters. Request an honest evaluation of the that science and real answers to the questions that we asked them on June 13, 2012.
Union of Concerned Scientists
National Headquarters
Two Brattle Sq.
Cambridge, MA 02138-3780
Phone: (617) 547-5552
Fax: (617) 864-9405
Better still, call or visit one of the Union of Concerned Scientist offices and ask for an honest evaluation of this science.
Mail it to the Union of Concerned Scientists at their National headquarters. Request an honest evaluation of the that science and real answers to the questions that we asked them on June 13, 2012.
Union of Concerned Scientists
National Headquarters
Two Brattle Sq.
Cambridge, MA 02138-3780
Phone: (617) 547-5552
Fax: (617) 864-9405
Better still, call or visit one of the Union of Concerned Scientist offices and ask for an honest evaluation of this science.
West Coast Office
2397 Shattuck Ave., Ste. 203 Berkeley, CA 94704-1567 Phone: (510) 843-1872 Fax: (510) 843-3785 |
Midwest Office
One N. LaSalle St., Ste. 1904 Chicago, IL 60602-4064 Phone: (312) 578-1750 Fax: (312) 578-1751 |
Washington, DC, Office
1825 K St. NW, Ste. 800 Washington, DC 20006-1232 Phone: (202) 223-6133 Fax: (202) 223-6162 |
If you want to do more, you can contact UCS by phone, in person, or through their website. Keep in mind that they claim that they want the public to come to them with important questions related to national policy and science.
(The link below is to a 20 min video excerpted from the UCS event where we asked them about 9/11. We have edited it to emphasize the point that providing competent answers to questions like ours falls squarely inside the scope of what they're supposed to do) Link to our questions to UCS
(The link below is to a 20 min video excerpted from the UCS event where we asked them about 9/11. We have edited it to emphasize the point that providing competent answers to questions like ours falls squarely inside the scope of what they're supposed to do) Link to our questions to UCS
Additional questions that we would like to see UCS address;
We no longer trust either politicians, government agencies, or the "entertainment" news media, to provide us with answers to the scientific questions which are critical to the future of our world and our democracy. We are asking for a consensus opinion on these questions from the Union of Concerned Scientists;
1) Does NIST's 'thermal expansion leading to displacement of one column' theory really explain the observed free-fall acceleration, symmetry, rapid onset, and completeness of destruction, seen in WTC 7's collapse?
2) Dr Sunder of NIST claims that "Shielding", (burying office fires with debris) can explain the presence of molten steel in the rubble at ground zero. Is this possible? What explains the abundance of previously molten iron spheres which are present in dust from the WTC, and which have been documented by the US Geological Survey (USGS), RJ Lee Group, and others.
3) Dr Sunder claims that the discovery of thermite in WTC dust by others, would not be an indication for NIST to examine WTC dust itself. Is this claim reasonable? How reasonable are NIST's rationals for not testing WTC dust in the first place?
4) A 1341 °F surface temperature was documented by NASA over WTC 7's debris pile, indicating the existence of a much hotter source buried somewhere below that point. Is there any plausible explanation for this that does not involve thermite? (note; these observations were made 5 days and 2 heavy rainstorms after the collapse)
5) Was enough energy available in the height of the Twin Towers alone to; 1) completely disassemble the building's steel superstructure, hurling it many 100s of feet in all directions, 2) to pulverize all of the buildings concrete, wallboard, marble, and glass into a fine power (3 micron average diameter according to USGS) , and 3) to distribute that powder in all directions including up to 1/2 mile into the wind?
6) Did the rapidity and constant acceleration of the Twin Tower's collapse demonstrate that the destruction could not have been driven by gravity alone? Does basic physics prove that some other massive source of energy must have been present?
7) Was the conduct of the ASCE and NIST investigations, consistent with that of a credible scientific inquiry? Was it what would be expected of an investigation intent upon providing a competent analysis of an engineering failure of unprecedented significance?
We know that within the Union of Concerned Scientists are individuals who are perfectly capable of providing scientifically valid and understandable answers to all of these questions.